Doodle Life - May 2025
Sketchbook struggle and chance meetings
If I give a theme to this month, it’d be 出会い (deai). The simple translation for the Japanese word would be “encounter” or “chance meeting”.
First, let me tell you about an informal children’s book illustrator retreat I did with my friends in Berwick-upon-Tweed. My friend,
, kindly invited us to her home in Berwick over the first bank holiday weekend.To give you a bit of context, I met Zehra Hicks in Bologna in 2019. I was so new to the children’s book world (it was before my debut book came out) and I hardly knew anyone so she kindly added me to a WhatsApp group of children’s book illustrators. That’s where I got to know the host, Jane, and the fellow guests - Sophie Ambrose, Angela Brooksbank, Sarah Lodge and
. The group really helped me navigate through the industry, especially during the pandemic, and they continue to do so to this day.
Berwick is a small yet charming town in Northumberland, south of the Anglo-Scottish border. It’s the northernmost town in England. During the four days in Berwick, we basically went with flow. We decided what to do on the spot. We explored the town, walking along the ancient walls and the beaches; we sketched on the top of a hill (or “mount”) and on a beach while Jane made tea for us with a Kelly kettle; we did crit sessions and discussed about our current / potential projects. But mostly we just chatted about art and books over tea, cakes, meals, wine and everything in between.
The best thing about Berwick was without doubt its local people. They were unbelievably friendly and everyone seemed so happy to stop and chat with us. Almost everyone had a story or two (or more) to tell. We met
, a forager who told us all about nettles, Lee who had made a life-size, boat-shaped sculpture with driftwoods over nine years, Ollie who used to play Miss Trunchbull on stage, and Alan whose son had converted an abandoned public restroom into an airbnb (and Alan strongly believed Queen Camila had made a pass at him at a ceremony).Children’s book author-illustrator
, who is also a Berwick resident, popped in for a tea with us one day. She had to dash off so I didn’t have a chance to get to know her properly but she was as lovely as she’s on her Good Ship Illustration podcast. By the way, her bestseller How to Hide a Lion is set in Berwick!
Talking of local artists, Jane’s neighbours happened to be Swedish artist Brita Granström and English writer-artist Mick Manning. They kindly invited us to their home. Every inch of their house was covered with art and all sort of beautiful and curious objects. Only true artists can pull off such a quirky, maximalist decor. Also, it was a treat to visit their studio! I can’t describe the excitement I felt when Mick showed me some of his original artwork from his book, Near the Bear North, which I’m obsessed.
The best thing about the weekend was the wonderful company I got to spend the four days with. All seven of us were so different in terms of personality, background and creative identity. We were also at different stages in life and career. There were so much to learn from each other. They also introduce me to Bagpuss which gave me a ton of inspirations for an idea I had been working on.
This retreat was as challenging as it was inspiring, revealing my weaknesses. Landscape and urban sketching isn’t my forte at all. Also, day to day I mostly work on my books (pencil sketches and digital colouring) and hardly take time to draw for fun and play with different materials. So the beautiful and expansive views of Berwick scenery overwhelmed me and I found myself at loss in front of the blank pages of my sketchbook. At some point, I really lost it (i.e. the lighthouse - see below).
The OK
The Meh
And the Ugh!
Though it was hard not to compare myself to the others’ beautiful sketches and fall into the spiral of self-hatred, this was a positive experience - a wake-up call if you like. I know I can draw. I know I don’t have to be an all-rounder, but I know staying in my comfort zone could be a creativity deathtrap. I vowed to myself to make more time to draw/paint for fun and experiment.
After the four blissful days in Berwick-upon-Tweed, I certainly felt my creative battery recharged with new ideas and motivation. To keep my word, I dug out a box of oil pastels from a depth of a drawer and used them this weekend. I had never used oil pastels before, I didn’t know what I was doing but I enjoyed the experiment (and I’m happy with the result).
Thank you, Jane! Thank you, my fellow travellers! And thank you Berwick!
Dotty Doughnut Window
After the weekend in Berwick, I did a window painting at ChocoLit, a children’s bookshop in Clapham, South London for my latest authored book Dotty Doughnut. I love window painting. This window took me about 5 hours but mostly because I was slow and enjoyed chatting with the shop owner, Martina, too much. If you find yourself in the area, visit the shop and grab a signed copy of Dotty Doughnut (or It’s Behind You!).
Meeting Jeanne
Last week I was invited to one of the Klaus Flugge Salons* and I got to meet Jeanne Willis, the talker of the evening. I had illustrated It’s Behind You! written by her but I had never got to meet or speak directly to her, so it was wonderful to finally meet her in person.
Jeanne has a long, interesting and successful career as a children’s author (she has written over 300 books and has won several awards). And she was such a character! The audience, including me, laughed our head off, listening to her anecdotes. Her creative journey was very inspiring too.
I did a signing with Jeanne after her talk and loved meeting all the children’s book lovers - booksellers, librarians, working and aspiring authors/illustrators - who came to see Jeanne. It was a lovely event.
*A kidlit talk & meet-and-greet event organised by Andersen Press. Highly recommend to check out the future events.
I love when a chance meeting leads to other encounters or to something wonderful. It reminds me that everything is connected. Imagine I hadn’t met Zehra in Bologna in 2019. I might not have had the amazing time in Berwick. Who knows where the encounter with Berwick local people or Jeanne Willis will take me to in the future? Who knows meeting me might be a part of the journey of the Cambridge School of Art students I met at the Salon? This is why I cherish deai.
Thank you for reading. See you next month!
Momo x
What a beautiful post! I love how you’ve connected your chance encounters to so many wonderful things. The weekend in Berwick sounds magical! Your window looks fantastic!
The oil drawing is delightful. It makes me grin from ear to ear. 💚